Wendy Boswell

For the best tasting home-brewed coffee, it's a good idea to clean your coffee maker thoroughly with vinegar every once in a while:

Vinegar is natural and free of toxic residues. Vinegar is also a good solution because its acidic properties help to get rid of lime scale, mineral build ups, and any oils left over from brewing various beans. If you leave these things in your coffee maker you'll not only risk breaking the coffee maker, or wearing it out, but you also risk tainting the taste of each pot of coffee you brew.

I tend to do this about every six weeks, and while there is quite the stink in my kitchen for an hour or so, I've noticed a big difference in the quality of my coffee since I started the vinegar routine. Any more tips on a better tasting cup of joe? Let us know in the comments. — Wendy Boswell